1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention pertains to clothing fastening devices, such as cuff links and the like.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Throughout time, man has been concerned about the adornment of the human body. Such adornment includes the wearing of jewelry, distinctive hairstyles and most significantly, the wearing of clothing. When it comes to the wearing of clothing, which is well known to come in various styles and arrangements for both men and women, it is necessary to securely fasten the clothing upon the wearer's body. Among the already well known methods of fastening clothing, and also the various devices for performing the fastening function, it appears that buttons and hooks are the most popular, reliable and economical.
To date, however, there has not been a particularly useful, expedient or attractive manner to fasten shirt cuffs, although valiant attempts have been made. One such attempt is demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,501,151 to Bayardi, who discloses a cuff link comprising a shank having a bar-like or elongated head pivotally mounted at one end, a fixed head rigidly connected to the opposite end of the shank, and a helical coil spring. The spring is positioned around a pivot pin inside the head.
Another attempt is demonstrated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,434 to Maien, who discloses a cuff link comprising a post, an end portion, a fixed head, and a pivoted head. The end portion of the post is provided with ears and coiled springs.
Another attempt is discussed in U.S. Pat. No 2,596,357 to Anderson, which concerns a cuff link including a U-shaped shank having spaced arms, a snap retaining head pivotally mounted on a pivot bar, and a spring assembly.
A further attempt is shown by U.S. Pat. No. 712,426 to Vogel, which is directed to a button for collars and cuffs comprising a shoe and a shank. The shoe is pivoted to the end of the shank to facilitate passing the shoe through the buttonhole or cuff hole.
Unfortunately, none of the prior art patents teaches one-handed insertion and removal of a cuff link. Nor do any of the prior art patents present a cuff link that is prevented from slipping out of its buttonhole in a reliable manner. It has been found that cuff links tend to fall out of the buttonhole due to their inadvertent twisting.